1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the operation of semiconductor devices.
2. Related Art
The relationship between the current (I) of a p-n junction and junction temperature is described by the Diode Equation:I=Is*[exp(qV/nkT)−1],  (1)where Is is the saturation current, q is the electron charge, V is the p-n junction voltage, n is the ideality factor, k is Boltzmann's constant, and T is the absolute temperature (Kelvin). Sequential measurements of current and voltage can be performed to obtain two data pairs (I1, V1) and (I2, V2). The temperature T is then calculated from the Diode Equation as follows (the “−1” term can be neglected):T=(q/nk)*(V2−V1)/(In(I2/I1)).  (2)
Accurate measurements of temperature are used, for example, to make sure that an integrated circuit is operating within its limits. However, the errors associated with voltage and current measurements can introduce errors into the temperature calculation.